Consequences of Hunting Out of Season in Oklahoma
The hunting season in Oklahoma is implemented so that hunters can go after their favorite game and help to control the population at the same time. There are several key factors that go into determining those dates for the hunting of different animals. When the population of a certain animal is exploding, the wild life authorities will adjust the season so the population of those animals can be managed more efficiently. The same can be said if the population of a certain animal is shrinking, then the authorities will lessen the hunting season to allow for the animals to breed and survive. Here are some of the consequences of hunting out of season in Oklahoma.
The Recreation and Economics
Hunting in the state of Oklahoma is big business. The state receives a tremendous amount of funding from the sale of hunting licenses. These hunting licenses are generally valid for a predetermined amount of time, after which the hunters must wait until the season begins again and purchase a new license. When hunters decide to hunt out of season, they virtually rob the system of funding that it desperately needs to help maintain the population of those animals. The economic impact can be severe because the state is losing the funding from the license fee, and the animal population is being lessened, which results in a short hunting season for all.
The Impact on the Animals
The biggest impact when hunting out of season in Oklahoma comes to the animals of this region. Different animals have a variety of incubation periods, which determine when and how long the hunting season will be. When a hunter kills animals outside of the determined season, they are shrinking the population which in turn shrinks the next hunting season. Many of these animals need the off season for their numbers to recover. For example, the wild turkey has three phases that it goes through in order to produce offspring. If a hunter were to kill a turkey during either the gobbling, mating, or nesting phases, the offspring would hot have a chance. The timing of the breeding plays an important part in each animal and the region in which they live. Any disruption to the numbers because of hunters killing off the numbers out of season could be detrimental to the next hunting season.
Understanding the Hunting Process
There is a tremendous amount of work that takes place behind the scenes in order to give hunters plenty of game to hunt for each season. When hunters decide to go after these animals out of season, they have no idea the impact to the overall game plan of animal management. In the case of deer, wild life management closely monitor the population and put limits on the size of deer that can be killed in a given season. If the limit is five points or more, hunters will then kill more female deer and control the population. When hunters kill any deer they can get in the off season, the female population increases and the wild life management must scramble to adjust the rules and the length of the season.
When a hunter is caught killing an animal out of season, they will often receive a significant fine, as well as revocation of future licenses for this year or several years. This depends on how severe the offense and if they are a repeat offender or just naive. Hunting out of season tends to anger those hunters who abide by the rules because it tends to put them at a significant disadvantage when the season opens.
Call us at 918.633.4589 for more information on Oklahoma’s hunting season and to reserve your hunt today!
